Pink Demon
by Sasha Kingsley
Summary: Sakura Haruno, Medical Nin and overprotected member of Team 7. But there is more than meets the eye... ANBU-member Tora is a legend, and why is Itachi Uchiha pissed at his brother? Non-massacre, Violence and maybe Lemon later on. ItaSakuShika Image by LPilz
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto. However, I do own this storyline. I hope you enjoy!

Sakura Haruno was one of those people you shouldn't mess with. These days, at least. Where she used to be a weak, obsessed and annoying little fan girl, now she was a confident woman, unparalleled in skills. At the tender age of 15, she surpassed her shishou and mother figure, Tsunade. Rumor was her medical skills even surpassed those of the late Shodai Hokage and founding father of Konohagakure, Hashirama Senju. That was what most people thought, at least. Only five knew the complete truth; Sakura Haruno was more than a medical prodigy. Her taijutsu was on par with Maito Gai and Rock Lee, Uchiha Itachi found her to be the best partner to work on ninjustu and genjutsu and she was the only one who could give Nara Shikamaru a decent conversation. It was a gift and a curse.

Team Seven was renowned in the Land of Fire. Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke were listed in the Bingo Books, but no one ever gave the pink haired medic a second glance. Just because she was not the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, the Copy-cat or an Uchiha. Boy, how wrong they were, especially the men on her team.


	2. Enter ANBU Team One

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto. However, I do own this storyline. I hope you enjoy!

The sun shone too brightly today, a pink haired kunoichi concluded. It was as if the universe was mocking her, 'See, you hate it and can do absolutely nothing about it!' Haruno Sakura was royally pissed, when she left the Hokage tower, after being waved off by her teammates. Team 7 had been summoned for a mission, a simple B-ranked one. It consisted of nothing more than an escort to Sunagakure, but the three men on her team had forbidden her to go along.  
"Sakura-chan, it's too dangerous for you. You should stay here and work in the hospital." "You're annoying." "Sakura, we just want to protect you, it's safer here." She hadn't even put up a fight, with a small smile, she had wished them good luck and exited the office of the Hokage. Sakura knew the men would leave in just a few minutes, and hid in the shadows next to the imposing building, away from the stares of civilians, away from the burning rays of the sun.

Her prediction was correct, within 3 minutes Team 7(minus Sakura) sped out towards the village gates. As soon as they were out of sight, Sakura re-entered the Hokage tower. She made her way towards the double doors of Tsunade's office, being greeted along the way by administrators with polite smiles and occasionally a soft 'Sakura-san' or 'Haruno-sama'. With a soft knock on the door, she entered the bane of existence of her Shishou.  
"Shishou, you wanted to see me?" she asked demurely.  
"Sakura, take a seat. The summons for ANBU Team One just went out."  
"A mission, I suppose?"  
The blonde smirked at her student, a rather devious look in her eyes. "Indeed."

* * *

ANBU Team One consisted of the most skilled shinobi the Black Ops had to offer. As they had a mission success rating of 99%, very few were able to say it was coincidence. ANBU Captain Uchiha Itachi, heir to his clan and leader of the team was the first to enter the office. He seemed to have developed a relation with the windows of the office, since he'd never entered via the large oak doors. They probably were to plebeian for him, but one never knows.  
Seconds after him, another prodigy entered the office, this time with use of a transportation technique. Nara Shikamaru, one of the most intelligent men to have ever walked the surface of the earth. His lazy demeanor was real, but it disappeared when on missions. The tactician greeted the three other with a curt nod. His dark eyes already calculating possible plans.  
The last person who arrived, flickered into view, out of breath and grinning. Some people wondered why the hell Uchiha Shisui, menace to the fairer sex and clown of the proud Uchiha clan was able to make it in the Team. Luckily, they didn't know his uncanny ability to spy on anything that existed, let alone his skills.

As ANBU Team One lined up in a perfected fluid motion, they hid their features behind the white clay masks some people saw only once in their life, right before their death.

"ANBU Team One, I have a mission for you. However, it is not one like the previous you have received. It is detrimental the mission is successful, hence the reason you're here. But you have the right to refuse the mission, as it will take at least 3 weeks to complete and you might die."

As one, the team answered her unsaid question, "We accept."  
"Very well, Weasel, this is the scroll containing all you need to know, inform the others. Owl, I want a strategy by tomorrow morning. Hawk, get a last check up for that slash in your leg. Tiger, your identity might get known, are you willing to accept that?"  
The smallest figure in the line nodded and answered; "I think now is as good as ever, they cannot stop me anyway." Three masks looked in Tiger's direction, their gazes full of pride.  
"All right, you leave by tomorrow 8 o'clock. Good luck."


	3. Preparations

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto. However, I do own this storyline. I hope you enjoy!

I am asking you, dear reader, to pick your wish: Shikamaru or Itachi, who'll capture our favorite pinkette first? Please send me your choice!

* * *

_Rank: S-rank  
Leader: Uchiha Itachi  
Members: Uchiha Shisui, Nara Shikamaru, Haruno 'Tora' Sakura  
Duration: Minimal three weeks  
Object: Eliminate Kumiko Yashano, Missing Rock Shinobi. _

It was all what was written on the mission scroll, and it was all they needed. Their team was nothing if not resourceful. They had an uncanny ability to become more as they worked together. Where others needed words, maps and repeating, they had a gaze, a touch and fluidity. It came naturally to them, they relied on each other, complete trust and faith making them nearly invincible. Itachi, known as Weasel, was a natural leader, able to read and predict. His long mane of raven hair and Mangekyou Sharingan made adversaries run on sight. Shikamaru had taken on the identity of Owl, for his ability to work in the shadows, his tactical mind miles ahead of all. Shisui was a predator, he liked the hunt, the knowing and learning everything about his prey. And last was Sakura. It was her who was known as Tiger, where as she was gentle and caring, during 'situations' Tora would come out, menacing and deadly, as was a true tiger. The Inner Sakura had become stronger over the years, and now manifested herself when she deemed it necessary.

They gathered around a table in ANBU HQ, unspoken words floating over its surface. Shikamaru tensed suddenly, a sign of problems in his mind.  
"What's wrong, Shika?" Emerald eyes staring off into nowhere.  
"Team 7 will return when we're not here. Knowing them, they'll come after us and break up the plans. We have to find a way to make them stay here." He murmured softly. All of them knew Naruto would go insane when "his dear Sakura-chan was not there to make them ramen!" It annoyed the Black Ops to no end when the three jounin would barge in and stuck their noses in Sakura's business. So far nothing had helped, long 'hospital-shifts', fake girls-night-outs or even Uchiha Mikoto could not deter them from 'their' Sakura. Though it had never happened on missions, since the ANBU would return before Team 7. But now, the first time after 5 years of working together, trouble might even find them there.  
"Then what should we do? We'll need Tora to be there. Leaving her here is unacceptable." Shisui mused.  
"Form a decoy. Use something even they will respect. What are they afraid of enough to leave you alone?" Itachi asked Sakura. Her eyes narrowed, images flashing in her mind. After a few seconds, she found a memory which might give them an edge.

_Sakura coughed harshly. The last few days had been hell when the flu manifested itself in her body. At first, no one had noticed she was paler than before. But when she started shivering and sneezing, the others had stopped the spar at once. "Maa, Sakura. Are you feeling sick?" Kakashi looked her over. "Just a bit of the flu, it'll be fine, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura wheezed. She wasn't about to give up training for a simple bout of illness. The next thing she knew, her three teammates had taken their distance from her and were ushering her home. It seemed all of them were scared to become sick too. "Tch, pussies…" _

"I might have an idea, but I'm not sure how we should make it happen." She answered.  
"That's where we come in, Sakura." Shisui grinned good-naturedly.  
"They all seem to be scared of becoming sick, when I had a bout of the flu, they didn't come within a range of twenty feet. Probably because they didn't want to miss any missions."  
A small silence ensued. Shikamaru thought and looked up at exact the same moment as Itachi, both with a devious smile upon their faces.  
"If we let Hokage-sama tell them you have a bout of illness, preferably something very contagious and draining, we could leave a decoy in your apartment which can send out your chakra signature until we return. It will be risky, especially since they'll barge in if they suspect anything. Still, it's worth a try." The genius of the Nara clan drawled.  
"We might be able to make it more believable if you'd 'reside' in the hospital, since Kakashi has a phobia and Tsunade-sama her temper is the moron's worst nightmare." Itachi butted in.  
None of the three men had a high opinion on Team 7's males. They just couldn't find the respect for a notoriously late and perverted Hatake, an absolue dumbass who happened to be Jondaime's son and the Kyuubi container and a little brat with a pole stuck in his arse, who was the bane of Itachi and Shisui's existence.  
"So, it's decided then? If we hurry, we might catch Shishou before she retires for the night. We could leave early tomorrow so no one sees us." Sakura mused softly.  
In unison, they all nodded and were off to see the Sannin, hoping she hadn't started on her secret stash of sake yet. No one saw the four streaks exiting the ANBU offices, hurrying towards the Hokage tower.

* * *

It seemed Tsunade was a woman as vicious as they come. After the ANBU had explained the plan, her smirk made even these people shudder slightly. The Hokage was planning something extra and they truly didn't want to know what Team 7 might have to endure after they returned home. Probably something with Morino Ibiki, as they heard her mumbling about 'damned brats' and 'show them some interrogation'.  
"Very well, I shall make sure your mission will be uninterrupted. Those brats will be in for a surprise if they try to meddle with my best team. Rest assured, I sincerely doubt they will be able to walk out the village gates after I'm done with them."  
"Thank you, Shishou." The apprentice told her teacher and mother figure.  
"I expect you to complete this mission without failure. And Sakura? I believe removing you from Team 7 will be for the best, but it's your decision. Inform me of your choice when you return."  
With that, ANBU Team One was dismissed from the office. Their grim smiles terrorizing the officials on their way outside. The team left many wondering, who the hell had lost their mind or had such a death wish to antagonize the Black Ops elite?

* * *

Note:

*You might wonder why a tiger fits Sakura's both personalities, but it really is true. A tiger is very caring to what it considers family, as grown male tigers sometimes peacefully share food with their mothers and younger siblings. While they are solitary, they are more peaceful than a pack of wolves. *


	4. Thoughts

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto. However, I do own this storyline. I hope you enjoy!

**A message to sharkswillruledaWORLD: he's not entering yet, but there's a sneak peek!**

* * *

It was nearing dawn when ANBU Team One headed out of Konoha's gates, and they enjoyed the silence. It was too early for most villagers to even have woken up, and only those on gate-duty and the old lady of the teashop saw the four dark cloaks moving. There were no birds singing, no crickets chirping, all was peaceful. The only sound was the soft swishing of their coats and the nearly untraceable thuds of their steps.

It was their usual formation as they headed towards Earth Country. Itachi was in the front, Sharingan activated and senses alert for anything suspicious. In the middle, Sakura and Shikamaru ran side by side, Sakura on the left as it was her stronger side. And in the back was Shisui, silently sulking because a certain pink haired kunoichi had forbidden him his coffee. His caffeine was his god, his heaven in the early morning, his sanctuary, his… Wait? Where were the others? Oh, right, they'd picked up speed and poor Shisui hadn't noticed. He huffed as he sped up to come closer to them.

Itachi on the other hand, ignored his team at the moment, his thoughts running wild in his head. His little brother, his otouto, used to be a sweet child, but these days he didn't recognize him anymore. Where little Sasuke used to be a gentle, even somewhat shy, child, now his little brother was rude, introverted and dare he say it, plain dumb. How could one with such good eyes not see the talent that was the medic-ninja, the genius behind those emerald eyes? Sakura had grown up, she'd become a woman with a beautiful face, a petite and elegant body with more power in her little pinkie than his brother in his whole body. And still, she wasn't worth the light of the day to Sasuke. If only the three jounin from Team 7 knew she'd surpassed them in rank years ago. Still, he thought, it wouldn't be enough for them to acknowledge her. Sakura may have grown up, but Naruto nor Sasuke hadn't. They still saw the weak little girl they had to protect, even though Sakura was far more lethal than them nowadays, and they knew it, as she had nearly killed both of them with a single fist. From behind his mask, the captain glanced back at his subordinates, all were genii in their own right. Shikamaru with his tactical mind, Sakura with universal knowledge, Shisui the perfect spy. But together, they would prove to all of Konohagakure, no one messed with one of them. Especially not their blossom.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru and Sakura had a soft conversation, concerning the target. He was a known S-class missing nin, but very few was known about his abilities. It was probably the reason they were sent out, with the high level genjutsu of Itachi, Shisui and Sakura, the ninjutsu of the men and Sakura's physical strength, they had an overall coverage of abilities. Both Shikamaru and Sakura had the abilities to nullify the earth techniques they were sure he'd use, but none of them were certain what else might come from him. It would probably at least take them a week to track Yashano from where he'd last was seen, somewhere around the old Whirlpool Village. From then on, his whereabouts were unknown.

"Taichou, any input on the target?" Shikamaru's lazy drawl broke the silence. Itachi sighed, of course, the genius was planning already. It was one of the reasons he genuinly like the Nara. The ability to come up with tactics, back-up tactics, and even more was a trait why ANBU Team One was so valuable.  
"Not much. The only thing Intel could tell me was his ability to summon spider crabs and a probable affinity for water."  
"That we can nullify, earth as well. But to be on the offensive, at least on ninjutsu, we'd need lightning. We don't have that." Shisui stated. While he might seem goofy, even more like the Uchiha version of Naruto, Shisui was smart. When it came to ninja arts, at least. Women were another tale.  
"Then, we have to make do with our abilities, we don't need anyone else." Sakura growled. The thought of using lightning brought her to Team 7, and both Sakura and Tora were beyond pissed at them. Sakura started to retreat in the recesses of her mind, looking for a probable attack, while Tora came out. Her teammates all glanced at her, knowing what was happening.

* * *

At sundown, the team decided to stop for the day and set up camp. Tora went looking for prey, Shisui and Shikamaru made a fire and rolled out the sleeping bags. Itachi went for firewood and to set up traps.  
"Ne, Shikamaru. Have you seen Itachi? He was supposed to be back already." Shisui remarked. He sensed Tora coming back, but there was no trace of the Captain.  
"No. He's probably looking for a stream. Don't worry about it."

* * *

Itachi was securing the perimeter as the back of his neck started to tingle, a sure sign someone was watching him. Without turning around, he flung a shuriken inches left of where he suspected the person would be.  
"Come out. Next time I will not miss."  
"You sure are true to your name, Uchiha-san. But I am here to talk…"  
Itachi whirled around, leaning on a branch of an old oak was a man, shrouded in darkness…

* * *

Note: Yes, Tora is Inner Sakura, I thought she could use another name. Also, Inner Sakura/Tora is not a split personality, but more like what Kurama is to Naruto: another presence altogether. Even though she's NOT a demon. What can I say, Sakura is a unique person, ne?


	5. Confrontations

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto. However, I do own this storyline. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

The peace of the Village hidden in the Leaf was abruptly disturbed with the entering of one Uzumaki Naruto. The loudmouthed ninja screamed for all to hear: "Finally home! It's been way too long, dattebayo!" His companions, the tardy silver haired Hatake Kakashi and the duck butt Uchiha Sasuke, sighed deeply. Each and every time they returned from a mission, the same thing happened. Even though the last mission only took four days, Naruto claimed it was an eternity. The next thing he'd say was-  
"I'm hungry, let's go to Ichiraku's!" Right. Sigh.  
"Naruto, we must go see Hokage-sama first." Kakashi said, his nose back in a familiar orange book.  
"Right, to pick up Sakura-chan, right?" The orange clothed man jumped up and down, one would even think he had rabbit ancestry, or maybe some frog family.  
"No, dumbass. To report the mission success." The dark Uchiha growled.  
"What are we waiting for? Ne, if we hurry up, we can go to Ichiraku's before training!"  
And with that, the trio took off towards the Hokage-tower.

"BAA-CHAN!" The doors of Tsunade's office slammed open.  
"SHOW SOME RESPECT BRAT!" An empty jug of sake flew towards the blonde knucklehead.  
"Maa, baa-chan, was that necessary?" A whine came from the floor.  
"Yes, now get up and give me your mission report."  
The two other men of Team 7 ended giving up the mission report while Naruto hopped around the office, he might be skilled, but he'd never be Hokage with that attitude.  
"Baa-chan, where's Sakura-chan? Shouldn't she be here?"  
"No, brat. Sakura is in the hospital. She came down with a very contagious virus. She won't be up for another two weeks. And before you try it, you're not allowed to go in. The illness spreads through the air. I don't want anyone else to get sick as well." The Hokage sighed.  
"But how did she get sick? She wasn't supposed to go on missions, right?"  
"Did you fail to understand Sakura is the top medic in this village, brat? She came down with the virus while healing an ill chuunin. That's why she didn't come with you."  
Kakashi decided to step in, "So we cannot go see her?"  
"No, hence the reason why I told you immediately. Now, leave already. I'm very busy."  
The three men left the office, knowing what her business was, a date with her sake.

* * *

Team 7 decided to meet with the other jounin teams of the Konoha Twelve. Lee, Neji, Tenten, Ino, Chouji, Kiba, Shino and Hinata showed up at the old training grounds.  
"Hi Sasuke-kun! Did you miss me?" Ino fluttered her eyelashes, after years of being turned down, she still was a fangirl. The Uchiha ignored her, instead asking where Shikamaru was.  
"He's on a mission with ANBU, it seems." Tenten answered. "Have you seen Sakura, by the way? She asked me last week to help her with some scalpels she wanted to use in field operations. Something about chakra inducing."  
"Who cares about the Forehead? I mean, she's just a weak little girl, why would she matter?" Ino had never forgiven Sakura for becoming the female member of Team 7. She saw it as proof Sakura wanted to seduce HER Sasuke-kun. The Yamanaka girl had conveniently forgotten the genin teams were made up by the Hokage office.  
Not everyone agreed with the ditzy blonde though. Neji and Hinata had seen Sakura's immense power with their Byakugan. Tenten and Lee knew of her taijutsu, and most of the others just had too much respect for the woman who'd saved their life more than once, and never asked anything in return. It just wasn't right to talk like that behind her back, especially not when they respected her so much.  
"Ino, don't talk about Sakura-chan like that! Just because she doesn't go on missions with us doesn't mean she's useless. I mean, how many times has she helped us? Care to try and count?" Kiba snapped at the mind switcher. He didn't like Ino, she cared about her looks and the Uchiha only, the rest she treated as dirt. The Inuzuka could smell jealousy miles away, and it came from her in waves.  
"Shut up, mutt. No one asked your opinion!" Came the reply.  
"Maa, Ino, Sakura-chan is ill, Baa-chan said so! Why don't we all go and visit, ne?" Naruto yelled, missing the point of the conversation.  
"Because we're not allowed to visit her, dumbass." Sasuke uttered. To him, it was just more proof that the girl was useless, after all, what medic couldn't heal themselves? The subject about Sakura was left alone very quickly, when it came clear a few certain people had nothing good to say about her. Sasuke, Naruto, Chouji and Ino went for a drink, while the others paired off in teams for a battle royale.

* * *

It was ten days later, when an ANBU team came through the doors of the Hokage's office. Most of the Konoha Twelve were in the office, receiving information about a terroristic formation, called Akatsuki, when the four top Black Ops appeared.  
"Hokage-sama, ANBU Team One reporting in." Uchiha Itachi's smooth baritone floated through the office. He and his team still wore their masks, and in the case of a petite kunoichi, a hooded one as well. If his voice hadn't warned the present jounin, the barely masked chakra and their heavy presences did. Everyone in Konoha showed respect for this team, which took care of the village safety. The Godaime merely smiled evilly.  
"Very well, Taichou. The brats can stay this time, I need you all for a new mission by the way."  
"Hn. The mission was successful, target eliminated in lesser time than previously expected. No casualties on our or civilian side."  
"Good, very good. Now, ANBU Team One, make yourselves known to these here" Tsunade nodded towards the ten jounin, "And I'll give you mission information."  
It came as no surprise when Uchiha Itachi took his mask of as the first one of his team, seeing as he was the leader. When Nara Shikamaru and Uchiha Shisui lowered their masks, a few eyebrows were raised. They knew the last one must be the legendary Tora, no one knew the identity of the shinobi before this. A nervous silence filled the office. However, when the men took a protective stance around the smallest member of their team, Naruto yelled. The hooded mask was taken off by the last member of the ANBU team, and pink locks swayed around emerald orbs.  
"SAKURA-CHAN?"  
"What the HELL are you doing there, Forehead?" Two loud blondes yelled.

The pink haired women disregarded both of them and turned towards her mentor. A silent communication followed and they both smirked.  
"I take it you have made your decision?"  
"Yes, Tsunade-shishou, I have." Sakura nodded her head, a faint smile glanced over her face.  
"Very well, tell me later. Now," the Slug Princess turned towards all, "the information you are about to receive, must not be mentioned outside of those present. If I catch anyone mentioning even a breath about it, you'll deal with me. Understood?"  
"Hai, Hokage-sama." Came in unison from the jounin. The ANBU members merely nodded.  
"I have received information about the organization called Akatsuki, it seems they want to take over the world by achieving the tailed bijuu. The first target was the Kazekage, two nights ago. They abducted him to extract the Shukaku demon. Kankuro has been poisoned as well, there is no cure the medics of Sand could find. Which is why I'm sending you."  
As silence fell over the office, glances and stares were traded between the ninja. A nasty look from Ino and Sasuke towards Sakura was answered with a glare from Itachi, and the two youngsters shrunk back. Sakura on the other hand, seemed oblivious of all the stares sent her way. Her eyes had a faraway look, as if she already was in Sunagakure, administering treatment to the friendly puppeteer.  
"Hokage-sama, could you elaborate on the plans?" Hyuuga Neji broke the silence.  
"Very well, I need the trackers to search from Suna, that means the Hyuuga, Aburame, Inuzuka and Uchiha. I need Haruno, Nara, Uzumaki, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Lee and Tenten to provide assistance in Sunagakure. Haruno, you are responsible for finding the antidote, Itachi and Shisui are team leaders. You leave ASAP! Get moving!"  
"But, Hokage-sama, why would you need the Forehead? I mean, Hinata and me could take care of the poison! After all, we know more about plants than her and have greater stamina!" Ino just had to interfere.  
A muscle twitched in said 'Forehead', but Sakura didn't say a word. It was Shisui who did instead.  
"Because, you idiotic blonde, Sakura-chan is the best medic we have. And to tell you the truth, Sakura over here has as much stamina as any ANBU member, seeing as she is one! Now kindly shut the hell up, so we can leave."  
Shisui wasn't the only Uchiha who had a thing to say, as Sasuke had the same thoughts as Ino.  
"Whatever, she's annoying, pathetic and weak, I'd rather not have her on the mission."  
"If you think so, foolish otouto, then we could always leave you here. Seeing as we need Sakura-san more than you. The same goes for Yamanaka, I believe." Itachi looked for confirmation towards Tsunade. After only a second, the woman nodded. These two needed to learn their place, after all.  
It didn't escape most in the room, Itachi had addressed Sakura as his equal, a fact which did not happen often.  
"Indeed. Yamanaka, Uchiha, I relieve you of your duty. Leave. The others, in five minutes, you have left towards Suna, understood?"

Let's just say the Hokage office was empty within a second.


End file.
